52 More Weeks of Gratitude

"Take the time to look for the good and you will always find it." Lisa Ryan No matter what is going on in your life right now, take a moment and look for something you can be grateful for. Now, you may be saying, "But Lisa, you don't understand what I'm going through right now. I have nothing to be grateful for." I beg to differ. Are you in a house, protected from the elements and warm (or cool if it's summer time)? Do you have running water, clothes on your back, and fresh air to breathe? Start there. When you make it a point to focus on what positive things in your life, you will attract more of them. It's true, what you focus on expands, so why not be just a little happier? In her book, 52 More Weeks of Gratitude: Thank Your Way to Happiness, you'll find the second year archives of Lisa Ryan's "Gratitude Thought of the Week". Since its inception in 2011, these short, inspirational thoughts that seem to show up exactly when you need them, have touched the lives of thousands of people who respond and share their stories of how gratitude has impacted them. Lisa discovered the power of keeping a daily gratitude journal in 2009. Beginning the process with friends via a Facebook thread, they each shared three things every day for which they were grateful. Even after the thread ended, Lisa kept up the practice and make it a habit. She noticed that her life was changing and yet the only thing she had changed was this daily gratitude practice. Because she enjoys researching topics of interest, she delved into appreciation. Reading hundreds of white papers, reports, books, and articles, attending classes and programs, helped convince Lisa that there was a lot more to gratitude than she thought. Gratitude is more than a feel-good emotion. We know that it feels good to give and receive appreciation, but does it really work? Is there more to it? YES! Research shows that focusing on what we're grateful for changes our perspective and the way we evaluate the events in our lives. Gratefulness has physical benefits including a stronger heart, a more effective immune system, and more restful sleep. Stress kills, and gratitude reduces the negative impacts of tension. Relationships improve as we catch people doing things well, instead of always trying to fix what's broken. Businesses benefit by creating a culture of appreciation in the workplace. After all, when your employees and customers feel appreciated, you'll keep them from becoming someone else's customers and best employees. A gratitude journal can be written in the first thing in the morning or the last thing at night. It doesn't matter. The key is to write them down. Don't worry about spending massive amounts of time journaling for pages and pages. You can simply write down five sentences that begin with "I am grateful for..." Take two minutes to write your sentences, and another three minutes to contemplate what you just wrote - getting into the experience of the emotion of gratitude. These five minutes will potentially be your BEST five minutes of the day Gratitude is a PRACTICE, so you don't have to be PERFECT. Do what you can, with what you have, where you are and you'll be happier - guaranteed. Lisa Ryan also offers a 30-day gratitude program called the "Five Thank You's a Day." Every day for 30 days, you can express your appreciation in any of five ways: 1. Write down five things you appreciate in a gratitude journal. 2. Write a thank you note. 3. Send a letter of appreciation. 4. Verbally express your thankfulness to someone. 5. Meditate on gratitude for five minutes. When you mix and match these five activities every day, you will see a difference thirty days from now. Use this practice in conjunction with the ideas and stories you'll learn in "52 More Weeks of Appreciation: Thank Your Way to Happiness."